.An Iraq Veteran who Didn't Hate The Hurt Locker—And Isn't Suing it Either!
With Oscar night only a few days away, best-picture frontrunner The Hurt Locker has had a rough week, with veterans’ sounding off on its inaccuracies, its producer’s being barred from the ceremony, and a man’s claiming the movie’s main character (played by Jeremy Renner) is based off him and filing a lawsuit. So we asked Marcus Johnson, a veteran of the Iraq war, to tell us how close to real life The Hurt Locker is.
Last week, Paul Rieckhoff, director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, wrote on Newsweek.com that inaccuracies in The Hurt Locker reveal “not only a lack of research, but ultimately [a lack of] respect for the American military.” Rieckhoff echoes the sentiment of many veterans who have expressed everything from disinterest in the film to blatant outrage at its distorted portrayal of combat life in Iraq.
As a fellow veteran of the Iraq war, I share Rieckhoff’s concerns about factual inconsistencies in a narrative about the war experience. Over the past seven years, America has been starved for facts regarding the war in Iraq, and it seems that movies cannot satisfy the American public’s demand for “ground truth,”as Reickhoff calls it:
Unfortunately, those are the only tools which Hollywood has. What The Hurt Locker does do well, however, is illuminate the darker side of the American soldier’s spirit—the side that is addicted to the adrenaline rush of combat and feels stifled by rules and protocol. This is a spirit that is possible to capture, because it is a universally human trait. I see Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremey Renner) going rogue in Baghdad, and while I don’t recognize my own military experience in his character arc, I do see Randy Robinson in The Wrestler, Roxie Hart in Chicago, Gregory House in House, and scores of other characters whose addiction to adrenaline, fame, or intellectual superiority surpass rules, common sense, and physical safety. It is in that overarching sense that James’s experience is relevant to all of us, even those of us still fighting in the Middle East.
Rieckhoff’s post is the best proof for why this country is in desperate need of movies like The Hurt Locker. Americans imagine an abstract a military force which, as Rieckhoff says, “takes great pride in their training and their mission,” rather than a military composed of human beings with human shortcomings. Because of this mentality, unnecessarily brutalities such as the ones that occurred in 2004 at Abu Ghraib shock us, when they should instead serve as a reminder of the humanity—and human flaws—which soldier and civilian share. The American public needs to know that soldiers don’t stop being humans when they put on a uniform and go to war, and in that mission, The Hurt Locker succeeds.
VanityFair
Last week, Paul Rieckhoff, director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, wrote on Newsweek.com that inaccuracies in The Hurt Locker reveal “not only a lack of research, but ultimately [a lack of] respect for the American military.” Rieckhoff echoes the sentiment of many veterans who have expressed everything from disinterest in the film to blatant outrage at its distorted portrayal of combat life in Iraq.
As a fellow veteran of the Iraq war, I share Rieckhoff’s concerns about factual inconsistencies in a narrative about the war experience. Over the past seven years, America has been starved for facts regarding the war in Iraq, and it seems that movies cannot satisfy the American public’s demand for “ground truth,”as Reickhoff calls it:
Americans want to think they know what the ground truth is in Iraq, but until Hollywood and the media give them the right information, our experience will continue to be lost in translation. So someone, do us a favor and tell our story properly.I hate to disappoint Rieckhoff, my fellow veterans, and hopeful moviegoers, but “Hollywood and the media” can never create a representation of war that could accurately depict “ground truth,” even if veterans tell the story themselves. I’m currently at work on my own memoir about my deployment, but I know that my potential audience can only empathize with my experience—they can never fully know it for themselves. My nine months in the Middle East were an emotional roller coaster ride that transcend words, images, and sound.
Unfortunately, those are the only tools which Hollywood has. What The Hurt Locker does do well, however, is illuminate the darker side of the American soldier’s spirit—the side that is addicted to the adrenaline rush of combat and feels stifled by rules and protocol. This is a spirit that is possible to capture, because it is a universally human trait. I see Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremey Renner) going rogue in Baghdad, and while I don’t recognize my own military experience in his character arc, I do see Randy Robinson in The Wrestler, Roxie Hart in Chicago, Gregory House in House, and scores of other characters whose addiction to adrenaline, fame, or intellectual superiority surpass rules, common sense, and physical safety. It is in that overarching sense that James’s experience is relevant to all of us, even those of us still fighting in the Middle East.
Rieckhoff’s post is the best proof for why this country is in desperate need of movies like The Hurt Locker. Americans imagine an abstract a military force which, as Rieckhoff says, “takes great pride in their training and their mission,” rather than a military composed of human beings with human shortcomings. Because of this mentality, unnecessarily brutalities such as the ones that occurred in 2004 at Abu Ghraib shock us, when they should instead serve as a reminder of the humanity—and human flaws—which soldier and civilian share. The American public needs to know that soldiers don’t stop being humans when they put on a uniform and go to war, and in that mission, The Hurt Locker succeeds.
VanityFair
posted by madtom at 7:44 PM
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